South Point freshman makes his mark early, while best teams start to rise to the top
South Point freshman quarterback Patrick Blee earned one of his career’s earliest “signature” wins Thursday by helping the Red Raiders to a 35-12 win over visiting Crest.
Blee completed his team’s lone pass for a 43-yards touchdown. He ran for two touchdowns and 158 of 339 rushing yards for undefeated South Point (6-0).
The tradition-rich Red Raiders are seeking their first gridiron state championship since 2016, and fifth overall N.C. title. Blee, with 608 yards and seven touchdowns on 68 carries (9.1 yards per carry), is the Red Raiders’ second leading rusher.
Blee’s impact is evoking memories of another Gaston County ninth grader’s basketball state championship contributions more than a decade ago.
Kerrion Moore was the leading scorer for the Huss Huskies, who won the boys’ 2010-11 3A hoops state championship after Moore was a gridiron running back the preceding fall.
SHELBY OVER .500
Shelby earned its fourth win with a 76-0 shutout of Highland Tech. The Golden Lions — unquestioned N.C. 2A state title contenders — experienced, arguably, this state’s most misleading season start with three consecutive losses. The three schools that defeated Shelby — Kings Mountain, Crest, and A.C. Reynolds - have combined for a 16-3 record.
Shelby quarterback Daylin Lee has thrown 17 touchdown passes to just one interception among his team’s four wins.
LEACOCK’S IMPACT LIFTS MILLBROOK
Nathan Leacock worked into the third quarter for his first touchdown in the undefeated Wildcats’ (6-0) 28-6 win over visiting Heritage. This detail affirms the prowess of the Huskies’ defensive secondary (which returned a preceding interception for a touchdown), and Leacock’s manifold abilities to impact a game.
Leacock drew enough attention to set up his teammates to make plays. Both Millbrook touchdowns after Leacock’s score (that helped the Wildcats to a 14-6 lead) came on the ground courtesy of Xavier Pugh. The first of those two rushing scores followed a 23-yards pass completion from quarterback Mason Fortune to David Santiago on fourth-and-5 from the Heritage 28.
NORTHERN ATHLETIC 4A DELIGHTS ON ‘O’ & ‘D’
How tight does this season’s Northern Athletic 4A Conference race seem to be? Rolesville, which advanced to last fall’s 4A state semifinals, had to hang on for a 47-42 win over Wakefield Thursday. The visiting Wolverines did not win a league game last fall.
Rolesville and Wakefield have forthcoming home games with Wake Forest — winners of N.C. 4A state titles in 2016, ‘17, and ‘18. Wake Forest won 35-21 at Knightdale on Thursday. The 5-1 Cougars still have not allowed a touchdown before the fourth quarter this fall.
RAVENSCROFT FLYING
Ravenscroft is 7-0, and off to its best start since the 2008 season. Fourteen years ago, the Ravens won six of their first seven games on the way to the program’s most recent 10-win season.
The 2008 Ravens included Cole and Connor Gonet, sons of Ravenscroft coach Ned Gonet — in his 42nd season leading the Falls Of Neuse Road school’s program. Gonet, North Carolina’s longest-tenured head coach at one school, will retire as coach after this season.
Ravenscroft will welcome Charlotte Latin to campus Friday for the first of four remaining regular season games. Charlotte Latin ended the Ravens’ 2008 campaign.
EAST FORSYTH ON “D”
Top-ranked East Forsyth’s defense shone brightly in the Eagles’ 31-13 Central Piedmont 4A Conference win at Mount Tabor. East Forsyth tallied a season best five quarterback sacks to go along with eight tackles for loss.
The Eagles won 4A state titles in 2018 and 2019, while the Spartans won the 3AA crown in the spring 2021 season.
NORTHEASTERN ON THE RUN
Northeastern posted season highs for carries (48) and rushing yards (476) in the Eagles’ 67-39 win over previously undefeated Hertford County.
Tyselle Spencer rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns, while teammate and quarterback Shamar Sutton rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns for the victorious Eagles, now in first place in the Northeastern Coastal 2A/3A Conference.
ROBBINSVILLE STRIKES FIRST
Robbinsville earned the first win — 24-16 at Swain — in the first of the annual Smoky Mountain 1A conference’s three-game series including the visiting Black Knights, host Maroon Devils, and the Murphy Bulldogs.
Robbinsville running back Cuttler Adams, who averages 8.8 yards per carry, ran for three touchdowns.
Robbinsville (14), Swain (8), and Murphy (10) have shared 32 state championships among the 1A classification. These schools, collectively, have won 80 percent of state finals appearances.
Robbinsville will host Murphy on October 14. Murphy will host Swain on October 21.
RICHMOND REMAINS IN PLAYOFF HUNT
Richmond’s 40-21 Homecoming win over Hoke kept the Raiders’ 4A playoffs hopes alive. Taye Spencer paced the winners’ ground game with 17 carries (two for touchdowns) for 126 yards, and caught a 46 yards touchdown pass from quarterback Emoni McBride.
The visiting Bucks, who defeated Scotland earlier this season, were seeking wins over the Scots and Raiders in the same season for the first time in any memorable time frame.
